To a Brighter Tomorrow
by Hyoxjnn
Summary: One-Shot: Before meeting Sven Vollfied, Train Heartnet was a solo sweeper, and during this time, he had only ever met one person, whom he could call his 'friend'. [Twelve Shots of Summer]


**Week 12 of the **_**Twelve Shots of Summer**_  
**Mission Mail: Compose a story on the theme of 'Nicholas D. Wolfwood', fail and face erasure.**

* * *

**The final week of the **_**Twelve Shots of Summer**_**; please read everyone else's works for this week, they should really not be missed.**

**It's been fun.**

**P.S. I'm sick.**  
**I don't... It's not **_**really**_** relevant.**  
**But.**  
**Just putting it out there.**  
**...**  
**I require attention.**  
**XD**

**By the way, CG.**  
**I stole a line from you.**  
**Heads up *Thumbs-Up***  
**...**  
**Or is it 'heads down, thumbs-up'-**

***Shot repeatedly***

**I like to think that... While I may not have addressed either Prompt, enough...**  
**We have the wanderer, and the doubts, for 'Nicholas D. Wolfwood'.**  
**We have the the search, and the friend, for 'Salvation'.**  
**... Perhaps, on their own... Neither Prompt stands up, by itself.**  
**But... If you think of this story as addressing both Prompts... I think that the two halves make a whole :)**

**Please enjoy the final story of my Twelve Shots of Summer!**

* * *

**To a Brighter Tomorrow**

"_Agh_, no, w-wait, please!" The purse snatcher clawed at the dead-end of the alley that he had fled into, and turned to face his pursuer, hidden by the shadows.  
The sky was inky black, and the only source of light came from the feeble twinkling of the stars, as tonight's new moon had forsaken the thief to near-darkness.  
The pursuer stepped slightly closer, and the thief finally caught a glimpse of him; a man in a black coat.

"Hey now... What's this...?" Still not close enough for the scared, confused thief to see his face, the man shocked him with his surprisingly young voice; he hadn't spoken until only now. "You're already giving up? Man, that was _no_ fun..."

"What..." His playful, innocent-sounding voice did nothing to alleviate the fear and adrenaline coursing through the thief's body, rather, it somehow frightened him even more... For his manner did not match his movements at all, he was like a predator, amusing himself, by toying with his prey.  
That was it...  
He was almost like a cat.

"'What...'?" He laughed, wanting to hear the thief finish his sentence.  
The thief flinched, as the man took yet another step.

"... What... Are you...?" He had no idea what was happening; he was known as the 'Swiftest Snatcher in the South', by the authorities; once he had stolen something, whether it was a wallet, food, or even a painting, there was no way that the victim would be getting it back.  
And yet... This man... He had followed him through streets, crowds, public buildings, parks, onto _and_ across rooftops, and finally, into this alleyway.  
And it terrified him.

"Oh... Me?" He looked around, and laughed again, as if anyone could've kept up with them.  
"I'm just a sweeper. A wanderer. A stray cat... Train Heartnet's the name." One more step finally brought him out of the shadows, and the thief could finally see his grinning face.  
"Say... That was a bit disappointing for my thirteenth bounty. Any chance I could let you go... And you start running again?"  
Yes...  
Just like a cat.

* * *

"A thousand? _Only_ a _thousand_?!" Train gaped at the 'reward' that had been placed in front of him. "But I thought this guy was famous! 'Fastest gun in the west' something...?!'"  
Snickering from a group of tough-looking sweepers nearby.  
"And!" Train raised his finger dramatically, and lightly banged on the counter with his fist. "I read the poster correctly, this time! It was definitely '10000', not '1000'!"  
More snickering.

"Train..." The young, bespectacled lady on the other side of the counter scratched her cheek, and gave him a sorrowful look, through the plexiglass that separated them. "They take out costs from damages to property, and medical expenses."

"'Medical expenses'? Nora, look at me! I'm totally fine!" He stepped back, and held his arms out to show that he was indeed, 'totally fine'.

"Not in the head, mate." One of the sweepers muttered, and the entire group burst into full blown laughter.  
Nora shot them dirty look, and looked back to Train, sadly.

"Not for _you_, Train," Nora Ouken opened a report, and gave it to him to read, "you chased your target through a library, a market, and a milk factory; there are _bound_ to..." She paused. "... To be... Casualties..." Nora slowly stopped talking, as her brain whirred into gear. "... Wait...!" She snatched the report back from a surprised Train, and held it up to her face, bewildered.

"... What's up?" Train tilted his head around the report, so that Nora could see his face.

"... Your target ran into a _milk factory!?_" She took off her glasses, rubbed them with her sleeve, and put them back on. "... _Why?_"

"Oh, actually he just passed it, I was kind of thirsty, so I... Took a detour."  
Nora became vaguely aware that the laughing had stopped.  
Now there was just a lot of staring.

"You..." Her mouth opened slightly. "Did you _break in_ to a milk factory because you were _thirsty?_" Nora dropped the report on the counter, and held her face in her hands. "_Why_ would you do that? What if your target got away?"

"Hey, hey! Nora! Do you think I'm an idiot?" Train laughed, and Nora peeked at him through her fingers, hopefully. "I didn't break in; someone had left a door open."  
And the laughter returned.  
"And that guy wasn't going anywhere; he was slow. I mean _really_ slow."

"Train..." She sighed, exasperatedly. "With all the people who got hurt-"

"'Knocked over'." Train whistled.

"_Hurt._" She emphasised. "With all the people who got hurt," ("_knocked over_," Train interjected with a whisper,) "the books and stalls damaged, the food wasted, it... Ugh..." She massaged her temple, hoping that her growing headache would go away. "Anyway... Through some higher power, it somehow all comes to exactly 90% of your reward."

"..."

"... I'm sorry, Train; if there's..." She looked around, to make sure that no one could hear her. "... If there's any way I could help, or..." She broke off, too embarrassed to finish.

"... Well," Train's momentarily serious face broke into another grin, "at least it wasn't over 9000."

"... What...?" Nora slowly looked up at him.

"Nothing!" Train laughed.

* * *

"Well, this is a mess..." Train looked over the board, listing his next potential target; their bounties were all below 10k.  
Not worth his time; not the money, and certainly not the challenge.

"Train!"

"Hm?"  
Train heard the familiar voice, and turned around. "Nora! What're you doing here?"

"Oh, well... My shift's over, so..." She looked around the room; no one else was in it. "... Um, wh-... Which bounty are you taking?" She changed the subject, flushing a very light shade of pink.

"None!" Train pouted and looked to the side. "They all look boring."

"'Boring'?" Nora looked at him, curiously.

"Yeah, these guys don't look challenging to catch at all. That other guy had 10000 on him; I thought he'd be tough, since he was only a thief, but he had a full 10 grand on his head, but it turned out that _he_ was too easy, too!" Train slumped his shoulders, and looked down at the ground in probably-hopefully-mock despair.

"... Is that why you're a sweeper?" Nora asked. "Because you want a... 'Challenge'?"  
Nora had met Train about a week earlier, but as much as she would have liked to, there hadn't been many chances to get to know him better.

"... Well." Train stood up straight, his playful demeanour gone. "Don't get me wrong. I _do_ like the... Thrill," he stopped for a fraction of a moment, considering the word he had chosen, "of chasing after a criminal... But I also prefer the 'stray cat' lifestyle, really..."  
Nora's mood sank by a small amount; there was nothing wrong with his reasoning, but she was also hoping for something a little more... 'Righteous'.  
"... But, most of all..." Nora's attention went back to Train, once she realised that he hadn't finished talking. "I'm a sweeper- I go... After these guys, because I know, in my heart..." He turned to her, and gave her a reassuring grin. "... That it's the right thing to do."  
Nora was slightly brought aback by Train's words, but couldn't help smiling along with him.

"... Great!" She laughed, and pulled out a bounty poster that she had taken earlier. "... Then you'll be happy to know that I saved this one for you!"

"Isn't that against the rules...?" Train laughed, and walked towards her.

"Oh, well... You know, I..." She blushed, and tried to ignore how fast he was approaching her.  
"... Here." She looked away, and held the roll of paper as far away from her as she could; her voice was so low, that Train wasn't sure if she had spoken or not.

"Thank _you...!_" Train sang, and took the poster from her; he opened it up, and...  
"... A _MILLION?!_" His jaw dropped, and he gripped the poster tighter in his hands. "'Dead or alive', who _is_ this guy?"

"Um... He's-"

"Wait!" Train declared. "_Don't_ tell me, I prefer not having an advantage." He carefully folded the paper, and stowed it in his coat. "Thanks a bunch, Nora!"

"No... Problem..." Nora smiled, but he was already gone.  
... '_Was_' already gone; Train unexpectedly ran back into the room.

"Nora, do you have any idea where the guy is?"  
Nora almost fell over.

"O-Oh, he's- ah..." She adjusted her glasses. "Well, he's actually two cities away; the only reason that I could get ahold of that poster is because it's being posted in every city within-"

"_Two_ cities?" Train gave her a horrified look; he didn't own any vehicles, if he wanted to get somewhere, he would have to walk.  
Or run.

Or powerwalk.  
"Man, I'd run out of steam before I got to the first!"  
Nora stared at the ground.  
"How am I gonna get there...?" He crossed his arms, and murmured to himself.

"... I..." Nora built up her courage, and...  
"I'll drive you!"

* * *

"You sure this is okay?" Train looked outside, at the dry landscape that they were driving over, and then at a tense Nora.

"Hm!?" She jumped in her seat, and gripped the steering wheel even tighter than she already was. "Wh-What's okay? I'm okay! Everything's okay!"  
_Aagh..._ She stared at Train with a forced smile, and thought to herself.  
_This is so embarrassing... Why did I do this...?_

"... Tree." Train indicated with his thumb.

"What-" Nora faced forward, to see a tree rapidly approaching them, "_eek!_" She gave a small scream, and yanked the steering wheel to the left; the car missed the collision by a wide margin, but the suddenness of it all had jarred her.  
Train laughed, making her jump again.

"So..." He examined her curiously; she looked like she was expecting to be attacked at any moment... or something like that. "I didn't think that _you'd_ have a car like _this_..." He gestured around the inside of the powerful, big, 4WD that they were sitting in.

"Ha... Haha, yeah, me too." She gave a nervous laugh, and instantly agreed.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"... _Oh!_" Truthfully, she hadn't really processed that question before answering. "I-I'm sorry, I-" she faked a cough, and silently kept driving.

"... Was this car expensive...?" He looked at her, worryingly.

"... Yes...?" She looked at him, wondering what he was getting at. "Why?"

"... Because I think that steering wheel's about to snap in two."  
Nora looked at the wheel, and unhanded it immediately, letting out a gasp, as she did so; two visible handprints had been left in its soft leather.

"... Tree." Train looked to the right, and inclined with his head.

"Gah...!" Nora immediately retook hold of the wheel, and veered around it.

"... Are you _sure_ that this is okay?"

"Yes! I'm- I'm absolutely, 100% sure." She looked straight at him, and gave him a very twitchy, fake smile.

"... _TREE!_"

"_AAAAHHHH!_"

"_AAAAHHHH- hahahahah!_" Train broke off laughing, and struggled for breath; there was no tree.

"Th-..." Nora shook with embarrassment, and attempted not to laugh. "That was really mean, Train."  
He didn't hear her; he was laughing so hard, that he was in danger of passing out from oxygen deprivation. "... Train, will you be okay? Handling this guy on your own?"  
Train kept laughing for the next 30 seconds, and finally... He calmed down.

"Heh... Heheh... Ahhh..." He let out a slow breath. "... 'Okay'? You mean with this 'Jin Kiri', murderer guy?" He took another breath, and took out the bounty poster.

"Yeah..."  
Nora knew that Train could handle himself; he had already taken a few murderers in, and he always took his targets in alive, something she admired...  
But this person was on a different level to anything she had seen.

"'Jin Kiri, serial killer'... I'll be fine. I can't just let this guy run around, in any case."

"... Well, let's hope so." She grimaced, and kept a wary eye in front of the car.

* * *

"Wow... So this is the place...! Train looked around the modest, but beautiful architecture of the place.

"Apparently, this town has a really deep history to it..." Nora locked the car, and scanned the area from behind her glasses. "There's a parade going on, at the moment; with such a large amount of people- oh...!" She looked down, and saw that a small, white cat had walked straight into her leg. "... Awww..." Nora's face instantly took on a strongly overjoyed look, and she picked the cat up. "Are you hungry, little guy?"  
Amazingly, the cat, which wore an oddly dopey expression, gave a small nod, and curled up in Nora's arms. "Train, I have some milk stored in the back of the car, could you get it, please?"

"You have milk?!" Train's head turned almost 180 degrees on his neck, and his eyes bore into Nora. "And you didn't tell me?"

"I was saving it for _after_ you arrested your target!" She stroked the stray cat, and looked at him, crossly.

"But you're going to give it to... _That?!_" He jabbed a finger at the stray cat, who retained its dopey expression.

"There's plenty of milk to go around!" She insisted, still cuddling the stray cat. "And he's not a 'that', he's 'Mr. Mew'!"

"'_Mr. Mew_'?!" Train cried, shocked. "How old are you, five?"  
Before Nora could say something else, a loud, female scream interrupted them.

"What was that?" She held 'Mr. Mew' tighter, and looked in the direction of the scream.

"That's my cue!" Train's mouth bent into a grin, and he dashed off towards the scream. "Stay here, Nora!"

"Ah, no- wait!" She began, but it was too late.  
He had already gone.

* * *

Some distance away, in the middle of a main road, was the parade; a parade for the town's new governor, Lib Tyrant.  
However... Since the scream, everyone had fallen silent; a man in a black coat had somehow killed every single security guard in the area, and appeared on top of Lib's float.

"No... Please!" Serena, Lib's fiancée, and the woman who had just screamed, pleaded with the man, Jin Kiri, who was holding a gun to the head of her fiancée.  
A black gun... With the number 'XIII' carved into it.

"You should've chosen someone who's less of a crook, girl." Kiri cocked the trigger, and looked directly at Lib Tyrant.

"Y-You...!" Lib's eyes darted from the crowd, to his downed bodyguards, to Kiri. "How did you take out my security detail, in the middle of the day?"

"It's him...!" An old man in the crowd shouted. "A black coat... A black gun with a 'XIII'... Faster than the eye can see...!"  
A second person in the crowd gasped, and spoke what, by now, was in everyone's minds.

"... That assassin... The Black Cat!"  
Panic broke out, but Kiri suddenly silenced everyone with his booming voice.

"People of this town, be silent!" He commanded. "I do not wish to harm any of you! I'm only here for one reason!" He turned back to Lib, who didn't dare move. "To bring this man, Lib Tyrant..." He flashed a sickeningly cruel smile, and started to pull the trigger...  
"... Bad luck."

_BANG!_

* * *

Dead silence.  
The only sound that filled the air, was the sound of Kiri's gun hitting the sidewalk with a clatter, and spinning into a wall, before finally stopping.  
Kiri's hand twitched, and his eyes moved from it, to his gun, back to his hand.

_Did someone just... Shoot it out of my hand...?_  
He snarled at the indignity, and yelled, "who dares...?!"  
He didn't have to look far; the crowd was fixated on him, as the shot had happened to fast for anyone to realise what had happened; standing beyond the crowd, was another man, interestingly, also wearing a black coat, and carrying a smoking, ornate, black revolver... With the number 'XIII' engraved on both sides of it.

"Well, well, well..." He muttered, and looked at Jin Kiri, dead-on. "You didn't have a real tight grip on that thing, did you? I hope you can do better than _that_..." Train Heartnet raised his head, and spoke again, even quieter. "... Because I really don't want another disappointment."  
Kiri looked at him, shocked, and thought to himself.  
_Who's THAT...?! A copycat...?_  
He dismissed that train of thought, and quickly retrieved his gun, leaving a stunned Lib on his float.

_BANG!_

The crowd jumped and burst into panic, as Kiri's shot sounded through the air; the bullet heading for Train's head was deflected high into the sky, as Train's revolver smacked it out of the way.

"Ooh," Train nodded slowly, impressed by Kiri's accuracy, "now _that's_ more like it...!"  
Kiri recoiled in shock, not completely believing what just happened.

_BANG!_  
_BANG!_  
_BANG!_

Kiri's pistol fired a burst-round of three more shots; one at Train's leg, one at his torso, and the last, at his head, again.

_CLANG!_  
_CLANG!_  
_CLANG!_

Once again, Train saved himself by neatly redirecting all three bullets, so that they harmlessly flew into the ground.

"Impossible...!"  
Kiri's gun only still functioned because he had had its metal specially tempered, but even so... It couldn't take something like a bullet more than a few times, and continue to function; much less if it was hit by three in quick succession.  
And yet, somehow... This mystery man still stood before him, very much alive.

"Nice aim..." Train licked his dry lips, and readied his own shot...

"Agh...!" Seeing Train raise his revolver, Kiri immediately dove into the closest street he could, for cover.

"Ah, ah, ah..." Train sang, and unhesitatingly took off after him. "Don't run, don't run; I can catch you in no time flat-"  
He stopped himself when he heard a small noise behind him; Train turned, and saw that Kiri had fled past him, by using the rooftops to conceal himself, "oh... Not bad." He smirked, and jumped onto the nearest roof, ready to chase after him.

* * *

"Mr. Mew... Do you think I should confess how I feel? Is it worth it? Or should I just... Live out the rest of my life like this?" Nora questioned the stray cat, bouncing it lightly in her arms; Mr. Mew merely continued to give her the same dopey look that he had been giving her for the past few minutes. "... Is that a 'yes'? Come on, Mr. Mew..."

"Ugh...!"  
Nora gasped, and looked to her right, to see a familiar figure in a black coat, stumbling forward with a bleeding leg.

"Train!" She dropped Mr. Mew, (much to his chagrin,) and ran over to him. "Are you alright?!" She laid a hand on his shoulder, staring at his wound, with teary eyes. "Who did this to you- _AH...!_"  
Nora stopped breathing as Jin Kiri raised his head, and put her wrist in a vice-like grip.

"'Train'...?" He growled, and pressed his gun against her. "Better savour that name, because you won't be using it for much longer...!"

_BANG!_

...  
And just like that, Nora Ouken felt herself drift into oblivion.

* * *

_What was that...?!_ Train peeked out from behind his cover, and realised that Kiri had given him the slip during their shoot out.  
Train followed the trail of blood from the wound that he had given Kiri, and then...

"_NORA!_" Train roared upon seeing Nora's motionless body being held by Kiri.  
Her glasses lay on the ground, in her blood.

"Whoa there, 'Train'." Kiri exaggerated his name, and cracked a cold smile. "It looks like your friend here couldn't take it."

"_You...!_" Enraged, Train aimed his next shot right at Kiri's head.

"Hey, don't be stupid!" Kiri laughed, making Train hesitate in confusion. "Shoot me, and I'll shoot her." He held his gun to Nora's head.  
Train only grew angrier at the childish threat.

"What kind of..."

"Oh, she's not _dead_," Kiri roared with laughter, and pressed the gun, harder into Nora's temple, "I just shot her in the leg; she fainted from the shock."  
Train gave Nora a quick run-over with his eyes, and he realised that Kiri was telling the truth.  
"Hey!" Kiri hit Nora with his gun, not taking his eyes off of Train. "Wake up!"

"_Stop-_" Train began to shout, but stopped, when Nora's eyes fluttered open.

"Tr-... Train..." Her lips trembled, as her eyes moved to the abnormally large wound that Kiri's high-calibre gun had shot into her leg; she still felt weak from the blood loss.

"Now!" Kiri barked. "Drop that gun, faker, or I kill her! If you even so much as raise that gun by a _fraction_ of a fraction of a millimetre, I promise you, I'll put a bullet in her brain!" He was screaming now, manic.  
_I am... The Black Cat!_ Kiri thought to himself, furiously.  
I_ am! _Me!_ Nobody else! No one screws with me!_

"Train... Do-... 'n't..." Tears welled up in Nora's eyes.  
Train considered this for a moment, and slowly, smiled.

"Wh-" for some reason, that smile filled Kiri with a deep, deep fear... "What's so _GODDAMN FUNNY?!_" He demanded.

"Train...?" Nora's eyes opened ever-so-slightly wider; even without her glasses, she felt like she was looking at a different person.

"... Nora." Train spoke, still smiling. "Remember when we first met? When I made my first arrest, even though it was 'dead or alive', and made the comment... That my gun wasn't heavy...?" He looked at his revolver, still pointed at Kiri's head. "You told me... That it wasn't heavy, because-"

"... 'Because it was full of mercy'..." Nora finished his sentence on reflex.  
Train smiled again.

"That... Meant a lot to me, Nora. Thank you."  
Train slowly began to lower his gun...

"Tr-" Nora coughed, and struggled against Kiri's iron grip, "no...!"  
Kiri paused, still worried over that smile, but broke into a laugh.

"Ha... _HAHAHA!_" He roared with laughter. "And I thought you'd actually _do_ something, kid! But it looks like you got nothing but _words!_"  
Still laughing, Kiri permitted himself to take his finger off the trigger.  
Train's eyes flashed golden.

_BANG!_  
_BANG!_

Before Kiri could comprehend what had happened, Train had shot one bullet straight at the ground, and the other at the wall to his left; the first bullet ricocheted off the ground, through the hole in Nora's leg, and into Kiri; the other, off of the brick wall, up to an overhang, off a metal pipe, off the ground, and into the back of Kiri's leg.  
Both of Kiri's kneecaps were instantly destroyed.

"_AAHH..._" Kiri let out a gutteral moan, and dropped his gun, in pain. "_AAAAHHHHHHHH!_"  
Jin Kiri screamed from the moment that he was shot, until the moment that Train charged forward, and smashed his revolver into Kiri's throat.

"Nngh..." Nora let out what air she had left in her lungs, as Train caught her before she could hit the ground.  
Train wiped off Nora's glasses, and gently placed them back on her face.

"_Wh-... -at..._" Kiri choked out; the strike had left him conscious, but barely able to breathe. "_What... Are... Y-... -ou...?!_'  
Kiri fell completely silent as Train glared at him, murderously.

"I... Am the _real_ Black Cat, 'faker'." He whispered in a low voice. "... And your bad luck has come." He turned to leave, but looked over his shoulder, at Kiri's pathetic form. "When I get back... I'm going to make you wish that you'd never even _heard_ my name."

* * *

"No, it's here, thanks for sending it... Yes, I am... No, he's not... _Yes_, I'm okay with it..." Nora Ouken gave a sigh, as she spoke into the phone next to her hospital bed; her glasses lay next to the phone's stand, reflecting the morning light onto the walls of the ward. "Yeah... The operation was... Pretty expensive... No, I don't know how I'm going to pay for it... The bullet ruptured an artery, and severed some nerves and muscle tissues; it's a miracle I'm even _alive_ really, if Tr-... If he hadn't brought me here in time, I'd be..." She stopped as the person on the other end asked another question. "No... Why?" She frowned, and looked out the window, clutching the black coat that she had woken up with, closer to her. "... _NO, he's NOT!_" The other patients in the ward all jumped as she suddenly sat bolt upright, her face flushing bright red.

"... Well, since your face is that colour, I'm guessing your blood count's better?"

"_AAGH!_" Nora's face somehow turned an even _brighter_ shade of red, as Train walked into the ward.

"Oh, even better!" Train leaned in close, admiring the deep crimson tinge of Nora's face.

"_N- NO, I'm NOT!_" Nora squealed into the phone, and slammed it back down onto its stand, violently hanging up.  
Her face was now a beautiful shade of scarlet.

"Haha...!" Train pulled up a chair, and sat next to Nora. "You seem lively!" He grinned.

"I- no- what makes you think-" Nora sputtered out a jumble of syllables, and buried her face in her pillow.  
Train, oblivious as always, smiled pleasantly, and waved at the other patients.

"... Was that a friend?" Train finally broke the silence.

"No!' Nora's face emerged from the pillow, and promptly re-entered it. "I mean... Yes... Ugh... Sorry..."

"Pffft. What'd you talk about?" Train asked, tactlessly.

"I... We..." Nora struggled to think of something. "... Sss-... -tuff...?"

"... Yes!" Train clapped. "Correct answer, good work!" He laughed.

"What... Is...?"

"Well, it _sounded_ like you were asking me, not telling me." Train was only half-joking.

"... Mmngh..."  
Nora looked away, feeling a bit pathetic.  
After all they had been through, she couldn't even talk to him.  
Train raised his brow, and looked her over, before getting up.

"So, Nora... I wanted to check up on you before I... Left."

"... Left?" Nora slowly looked up at him.

"Yeah... By this time tomorrow, I'll be out of town."

"Wait... Wait, how...?"

"I bought a bike," he shrugged, "you made me think about what I'm doing; yes, it's right, and it's good, but... I don't think it's enough; without you, I wouldn't have made it in time to stop Kiri; I need to search out dangers like him, and stop them."

"W- so that's it...?" Nora's eyes became moist. "You make a mil, so you buy a fancy bike, and leave me here, alone-" the words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself.

"Oh, I've... No, I bought the bike with money that I've been saving up." Train corrected her.

"You... Then, what are you going to do with the bounty money?"

"Paid for your operation, of course!" Train crossed his arms, and put on a mock-serious expression.  
Nora somehow managed to choke on nothing.

"_You- what-_" she grabbed her glasses, and put them on, before staring at Train's face, to see if he was joking.

"Yep," Train's voice suddenly shifted up an octave, "'through some higher power, it somehow all came to exactly 100% of my reward'." He stopped imitating Nora, and burst into laughter, before being slapped in the face, which silenced him.

"..." Nora shook, upset with him, but more upset with herself. "_Why_ did you do that?! You... You had enough money to... To..."

"To what?" Train rubbed his cheek, and asked her, simply.

"To... I don't know-"

"To help a friend? I think that's the best way I could've used it."

"..."

"..."

"I want to..." Nora looked down, not wanting Train to see her cry. "I want to be strong, like you, Train... I don't want to have to..." She took her glasses off, and rubbed her eyes. "... Rely on you all the time..." She sniffed, and rubbed her eyes, again.

"... Well, how about this?" Train stood up, and smiled. "I won't stay here for you... But when you're healed, you can come after me."

"...?" Nora slowly looked up, her face red from both embarrassment, and from crying.

"You're too submissive!" He put his mock-serious face back on, and chided her. "You don't finish your sentences, because you don't want to offend others, you don't say anything bad to people because you don't want to offend them-"

"Wait- I-"

"And!" Train brought his fist down onto his palm. "That one time you cooked for me, you kept throwing the food to the cats outside, until you thought it was perfect!"

"You knew...?!" Nora's jaw dropped, and she held her head in her hands.

"Look, just..." Train gestured wildly. "If you want to be strong, be more aggressive! Assertive! Oh, but when you didn't give me that milk straight up, that kind of bothered me, just saying." He suddenly changed tack very quickly, making her smile, slightly.

"... Okay, Train." Nora smiled fully, and held up Train's coat for him. "It's a promise. I'll find you. And when I do..." She stopped herself, she wasn't there, yet.  
Train extended a hand to take the coat... But then retracted it.

"... You keep it, Nora." He smiled... But in a bit of a sad way.

"What...?" Nora's eyes widened in shock. "But... Didn't you say that this coat's important to you?"

"Yeah... But I shouldn't be wearing that thing everywhere, for a few reasons..." Train shifted on the spot uncomfortably. "... And if there's anyone I want to have it... It's you, Nora."

"..."

"Why do you think I gave it to you, earlier?" He laughed. "These hospital blankets are _seriously_ thin; you'll need that coat more than me."

"Train..."

"Oh, and if you're having trouble finding me," Train sniggered, "since that has my scent, you can just give it a sniff-"

"_I'm NOT sni-_ ugh, I'm not a _dog!_" Nora's face flushed red, yet again. "... Ah... Sorry-"

"Hey! No! No apologies! Train insists!" Train made karate-chop motions with each word. "Remember, aggressive! Assertive! Got it?"

"... Got it." Nora held the coat close to her, and smiled again.

"... Good." Train ceased his posing, and stood normally. "Well then... I guess I'll-"

"Oh, wait!" Nora reached under her bed. "I was going to give this to you earlier, but..." She pulled out a box. "... Here." Blushing, she held it out to him.

"For me?" He asked.  
She nodded.  
Train opened the box... Inside was a blue jacket, with... "... What _are_ these...?"

"They're... Um..." Nora put her glasses back on. "... Emergency Food Rations. I... Made them myself... And the jacket, too."

"... Oh, wow!" Train looked at the four doughnut-shaped, biscuit-like things on the jacket's front, and put it on, rolling the sleeves up. "... Perfect fit!" He admired the strength of the fabric, and moved his arms around.

"R-Really...?" Nora happily watched Train stretch his arms in delight. "W-Well, each Ration can last you a week, so... That's almost a month, that you can survive without any other food."  
Train stopped, and considered this.

"... Nope." He said, simply. "These things are... Too cool-looking to eat. I can't do it." He shrugged.

"... What do you... Mean...?"

"Well, if I want to taste this, I'm going to have to come back here some time, and ask you to cook one up, for me." He grinned.

"... Won't that... Destroy the purpose of me _looking_ for you-" Nora began to laugh.

"Eh. If food's involved, I can wait here. Bend the rules."  
Nora and Train both laughed... Despite all the pain, there was light at the end of the tunnel.

"... I guess I'm keeping you, huh?" Train started towards the door.

"... Yeah, kinda. you should just leave, now." Nora grinned mischievously, surprising Train.

"... Haha, that's what I'm talking about!" Train grinned back, and laid a hand on the door.  
"Well... Bye, Nora." Train turned the handle...

"... Bye, Train." Nora gave him one last smile. She wouldn't cry.

""... See you around.""

...  
...

* * *

"... And that's how I met him." Nora finished telling her story to Train's companions, Sven Vollfied and Eve.

"... I didn't expect you two to have such a history." Sven shifted in his chair; sitting still for so long was giving him pins and needles.

"If you didn't hear me say Train's name, you'd still be looking for him, right?" Eve asked.

"Well... Yes, probably." Nora laughed. "Though... I wouldn't of minded that, either; I'm glad he told me to look for him... Travelling the country... Now I have my own stories to tell." She smiled.

"Hey, Sven! Princess! Sorry I'm late!"  
Nora gasped, as she heard a familiar voice from behind her.  
It wouldn't be long until she saw his face again.

* * *

**Hey, everyone!**

**I'm **_**sorry**_**, if I put a bit to much emphasis on Train and Nora's friendship, especially in the end, but I felt that it was crucial to the story... Hm.**  
**Well, they Train and Nora both travel, and both for their own reasons; I guess Train fits the bill more, but... Yeah, haha XP**

**Hard to believe that it's been twelve weeks...**  
**We started way back, on the 7th of June, (wait, actually, 8th of June for me, heheh. Time zones,) and now it's August the 23rd... (24th for me, blegh.)**

**It's been a very challenging, but rewarding adventure for me; if I wasn't invited to these **_**Twelve Shots of Summer**_**, I... I can't imagine how much less writing I'd have done; how much fun, I would've missed out on...**  
**I wouldn't of liked that.**

**The past twelve weeks have really flown by me, really.**  
**I won't deny that it's made life a bit more difficult, especially since I am in my final year of high-school, but as someone who enjoys stories, and enjoys **_**writing**_** stories, this was something that I would definitely choose to take part in again.**

**It's an amazing experience, to help push others to do their best, and be pushed up by them, in return; when everyone works together, supporting one another like this... I truly believe that their can be no other outcome, other than one of success.**

**To everyone who has read and/or reviewed my works...**  
**To anyone who writes their own...**  
**To my new friends on the **_**Twelve Shots of Summer**_** Community...**  
**Especially to Chronic Guardian, whose name I shall finally use correctly...**  
**And even to those people who simply dream about one day, taking that daunting step, and composing your first story...**

**... Thank you.**  
**And good luck in your future endeavours.**  
_**-X**_


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